Improve the Safety of Our Roads by Eliminating Distracted Driving
As Americans, we love our cars and the freedom that they provide. This freedom, however, does not come without a cost. Despite constant improvements to the safety of our cars and roads, drivers and passengers still face many dangers on our country’s highways, byways and city streets. Among these many dangers, distracted driving poses one of the greatest risks. Fortunately, there are a few simple things that drivers can do to minimize distracted driving, such as avoiding texting while driving, and utilizing hands-free systems for mobile phone use in the car. These simple measures could have a profound impact on the safety of our roads and save countless lives each year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported more than 37,000 fatalities and over 2 million injuries due to traffic accidents in the US in 2008. While some number of accidents are simply inevitable and will never be completely eliminated, there must certainly be considerable room for improvement in the safety department. Of the many changes we can make to our driving behavior to make the roads safer, one of the easiest to implement is simply to minimize distractions and pay better attention to what we’re doing behind the wheel; keep our heads up, hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. According to the NHTSA, 16% of all traffic fatalities in the US in 2008 can be attributed to distracted driving. Potential distractions are numerous, but among the most dangerous of these is manual manipulation of cellular phones. Fortunately, the distraction caused by cellular phones is also one of the easiest to eliminate.
If we’re paying attention to our phones when behind the wheel, we’re not paying attention to the roadway, other vehicles, and pedestrians around us. A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study confirms this in their research finding that text messaging while driving causes drivers to take their eyes off of the road for 4.6 seconds, on average, for every 6 second interval. In that 4.6 seconds, a car traveling 55 mph covers the distance of a football field! It shouldn’t be shocking, then, to learn that VTTI also found text messaging while driving to cause the risk of crash or near crash events to increase more than 23%.
Agreement among experts is nearly unanimous in that strict bans should be implemented for texting, emailing and/or web browsing on cellular phones while behind the wheel. Drivers simply cannot have their eyes focused on the road if their eyes and hands are on their mobile devices. Similarly, often simply receiving or dialing calls on a cellular phone can also be a considerable distraction and should be avoided unless a true hands-free system is being used. A true hands-free system is one that allows calls to be made and received by the driver without causing a diversion of attention from the roadway, and usually includes: A mounting device which holds the phone securely and in plain view of the driver; voice activated dialing and answering software; and, a hands-free speaker/microphone or bluetooth headset.
Truthfully, the safest thing to do with our phones when we’re driving would be to turn them off, right? However, it’s a pretty safe bet that there are a lot of people who are simply not going to do this. So for those who refuse to cut the cord even when behind the wheel, the best option is to go truly hands-free. True hands-free begins with completely refraining from texting, emailing or web browsing while driving. And as for making and receiving calls, a mount should be used that securely holds the driver’s phone in a position that doesn’t cause them to look away from the road if they need to look to see who’s calling; voice activated software should also be used to eliminate the need to touch the phone for dialing and answering; and, finally, a headset or speaker/microphone, so the driver’s hands can stay on the wheel while talking. Pay attention out there, and keep your head up, eyes on the road and hands on the wheel… it just might save a life!
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